Mining operations result in huge amounts of waste rock and tailings that may have detrimental effects on soil, water and biota. The aim of the project is to study if Green liquor dregs (GLD), alkaline rest products from the paper industry, can be used as sealing layers for remediation of sulphide-bearing tailings and other sulphidic materials. The project is financed by Formas.

Project leader: Christian Maurice, LTU; E-mail:
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Project timeframe: 2012-2014

Sequential remediation of soil with complex contamination

The goal of the project is to develop and evaluate practical sequences of techniques for remediation of soil contaminated with complex (i.e. organic and inorganic) substances in order to minimize the volume of soil that needs to be relocated, transported and landfilled. Soil contaminated with a mixture of PAH (polyaromathic hydrocarbons) and CCA (chromated copper arsenate) will be used in the experiment.

Multi-criteria analysis (MCA) of remediation alternatives to access their overall impact and cost/benefit, with focus on soil function (ecosystem services and goods) and sustainability

The aim of the project is to demonstrate the use of multi-criteria analysis (MCA) in evaluating management and remediation alternatives to access their overall impact, with focus on soil function (ecosystem services and goods) and sustainability. As some aspects of soil function cannot be easily quantified in monetary terms, MCA offers a complementary approach in comparison to cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Maintained soil function is a key parameter in sustainable developments and the proposed project will demonstrate a method for including soil function and related geographical, cultural and soil use aspects of soil function into MCA.

Assessment and Management of polar PACs in contaminated soils and remedial processes-PACMAN

The objectives of this project are to assess to what extend the compounds belonging to the group polar PACs (e.g. oxy-PAHs and azaarenes) involve additional risk at PAH-contaminated sites, and also to find ways to manage and reduce this potential risk.

Contaminated sites and sediments are recognised as a large problem, constituting a danger for the environment and public health. In the contaminated areas the pollutants can damage organisms and ecosystems, and there is a risk for spreading of pollutants to adjacent areas.

The toxicity test are a very valuable complement to chemical analyses, and can be an important input for risk assessment.

The impact of the spring flood (now and in future scenarios) is important because of the accumulation of several contaminants through long-range transport (i.e. diffuse pollution) and subsequent atmospheric depositions in snow. There is an urgent need to quantify the importance diffuse pollution and the relative contribution to the environment, in order to gain optimal effect of different remedial activities.By understanding the relationship between landscape characteristics (e.g. pH, flux and quality of DOC, spring flood and other hydrological events) and the export of pollutants, the contribu- tion of pollutants from diffuse pollution to the environment (e.g. surface water, Baltic Sea) may be assessed in relation to point sources.

Based on our experience, statistical methods are seldom used to optimize site investigations and quality assurance of the usability of analytical results for contaminated soil samples is often deficient. One reason for this may be that the available Swedish guidelines within this field are incomplete and not practically suited for most contaminated sites. This project will develop strategies to select appropriate statistical methods to assess brown fields based on the site characteristics and the questions to be answered, and to select appropriate sampling and analyses methods to improve the results of the chosen statistical methods.

Planning guidlines for remediation of chlorinated solvents through reductive conditions

A large number of sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents have been identified. and few mature methods are available to deal with these types of compounds. This project will study the processes involved in remediation based on reductive dechlorination to gain knowledge applicable in future remediation projects.The work includes a field study complemented with a review of existing knowledge from other pilot studies. The results will be compiled and documented as planning guidelines for this type of remediation. The work aims to enable the use of a a more cost effective method for remediation of these con- taminants.

Solid waste is proposed to replace traditional construction materials as gravel and macadam in less sensitive roads and parking areas. However, the present criteria regarding recycling of solid wastes demands toxic waste to be put on a secure dump rather than being reused. irrespective of if toxic contaminants leach or not.A European laboratory calibration activity as a ring test in late spring 2007, analysed the toxicity from three types of solid wastes using different toxicological test methods. As an outcome, the need for the development of procedures and sets of biological tests was identified. A further characterisation of the toxic threat solid waste may be to the environment is needed.

Dioxin analyses are exceptionally costly and high cost often limits the number of samples that can be used to assess the 3D distribution of these pollutants at polluted sites.This project aims at refining and fully validate a method for streamlined sample processing that has perviously been developed within the framework of MCN. The method is based on simultaneous extraction and on-line cleanup of dioxins in soil using pressurized liquid extraction and selective sorbents (see figure).